If you'd told me at the start of the season that I could look at the ECAC standings on January 15 and find Brown and Yale as close together as they are, I wouldn't have believed it. :eek:

Of course, I wouldn't have believed that I'd find RPI with three points, either. :(

Doesn't look like the Capital District teams can expect to take either opponent more lightly than the other.

REDaero91

01-15-2012, 07:44 PM

These are two teams RPI played well against during their first meetings this year. Both games were while we were still having scoring issues however, and it took a shutout to give us a win. The only goals we gave up against Yale were a flukey one early and the direct result of a frustration slashing penalty late. Hopefully we can remember that discipline and strong defense, and combine it with our (relatively) newfound offense this weekend.

FlagDUDE08

01-15-2012, 08:50 PM

Win, lose, or tie, I better hear that our team plays SIX periods this weekend. Not two, not three... SIX. Here, I'll also type it out in French so 15 and 18 get it: SIX.

LTsatch

01-15-2012, 09:43 PM

I would not want to be a coach who had to prepare his team for Yale and Brown on a weekend. Two totally different teams. Brown from what I have seen is gritty and hard nosed but inconsistent. Yale is trying to be a finesse team without the finesse players of the past, they are also VERY inconsistent. Good luck with Jekyll and Hyde.:D

kdiff77

01-15-2012, 11:16 PM

If you'd told me at the start of the season that I could look at the ECAC standings on January 15 and find Brown and Yale as close together as they are, I wouldn't have believed it. :eek:
.

Really? Yale lost a ton of talent and Brown has been on the rise for three years now. I don't understand why no one seemed to think we'd be a good team this year.

rdf8585

01-15-2012, 11:25 PM

I have to think Yale-Union ends differently this time. Yale walked into Union and embarrassed them on their own ice and it was never much of a game. Union will want to avenge that loss and I think they're really hitting their stride now. That Harvard tie on 1/6 might be the turning point of Union's season. That Yale-Brown weekend in early/mid November was perhaps Union's low point of the year. Brown is hard to pin down - they've beaten Union, Providence and Cornell but have lost to AIC and RPI. They also only mustered a tie against Army. I find it unlikely that Brown beats Union two times this year. I'd hate to be in Union's path right now. They've made strides in solidifying their lines (an issue earlier in the year) and seemed poised to make a big run here.

DrDemento

01-16-2012, 07:19 AM

I suspect RPI will play better this coming weekend than they have over the past many weeks-they would almost have to. Unless they can put forth a full 60 minutes of focused effort though, the results will not lead to a victory. There are no teams in the ECAC that RPI can beat without a full 60 minute effort, staying out of the box, and avoiding defensive mistakes leading to a plethora of odd man rushes. Hopefully these will be low scoring games spent mostly 5 on 5 and we will be competitive.

Mike Hutter

01-16-2012, 11:52 AM

Despite the records, Brown/RPI should be a good one. The RPI team I saw beat Brown in November played well and I find it difficult to believe with the talent it has that since that win it has gone into a tailspin. Other than the playoffs 2 years ago, RPI always seems to find a way to beat Brown. I still can remember Brown losing to RPI when towards the end of the game an RPI shot upon a deflection flies up into the air and over Danis into the goal.

FlagDUDE08

01-16-2012, 02:28 PM

Despite the records, Brown/RPI should be a good one. The RPI team I saw beat Brown in November played well and I find it difficult to believe with the talent it has that since that win it has gone into a tailspin. Other than the playoffs 2 years ago, RPI always seems to find a way to beat Brown. I still can remember Brown losing to RPI when towards the end of the game an RPI shot upon a deflection flies up into the air and over Danis into the goal.

When was the last time RPI beat Brown in a playoff series? If ever? Brown swept in 2004-05, and 2009-10 we know what happened :mad:...

burgie12

01-16-2012, 02:52 PM

When was the last time RPI beat Brown in a playoff series? If ever? Brown swept in 2004-05, and 2009-10 we know what happened :mad:...
I'm going to start calling you osorojo if you keep asking questions that you can easily find the answers to yourself.

I don't think I've ever known that second link existed! Plus, I don't start threads about stupid topics, so I'm not even close to Bear Red status.

Plus, I did check collegehockeystats back to 2000. Progress.

Waite21

01-16-2012, 09:17 PM

Really? Yale lost a ton of talent and Brown has been on the rise for three years now. I don't understand why no one seemed to think we'd be a good team this year.
I will be forthright and honest and admit that, considering that Yale was 28-7-1 last year and Brown was 10-16-5, I failed to anticipate that a gap that wide would close this quickly. So much for my credentials as a hockey expert. ;)

Anyway, it doesn't matter what fans like me thought at the beginning of the season. Given what has transpired, I don't expect either RPI or Union will go into Providence this weekend expecting that game to be easier than the one in New Haven.

Red Cloud

01-16-2012, 10:19 PM

Really? Yale lost a ton of talent and Brown has been on the rise for three years now.

I admit, I guffawed.

kdiff77

01-17-2012, 05:13 PM

I will be forthright and honest and admit that, considering that Yale was 28-7-1 last year and Brown was 10-16-5, I failed to anticipate that a gap that wide would close this quickly. So much for my credentials as a hockey expert. ;)

Anyway, it doesn't matter what fans like me thought at the beginning of the season. Given what has transpired, I don't expect either RPI or Union will go into Providence this weekend expecting that game to be easier than the one in New Haven.

I'll agree that Yale's lack of consistency has been a surprise, but, despite Red Cloud's guffawing, I was shocked at the beginning of the season when everyone seemed sold on Brown finishing in last place, and I remain surprised that no one seems to see us as a legitimate threat after beating the likes of Cornell, Union, Yale, PC, and UNH (yes, we have lost to AIC, RPI, and Holy Cross and tied Army. But that's beside the point :p).

I suppose I'll have to let the team speak for itself on the ice.

Red Cloud

01-17-2012, 06:00 PM

You have a gift, a gift for humor. Don't ever lose it.

Wholin1

01-17-2012, 06:09 PM

I am cautiously optimistic about Union's chances this weekend. Obviously they were embarrassed by Yale and Brown in Schenectady and played probably their worst games of the season back to back. Still both of these teams are perennial trouble makers for Union. Yale might be feeling the pressure themselves, at least Allain seems to be having gone postal in the Clarkson game. Anyway, it's a tough road weekend and I would be minimally satisfied with taking home two points. Less than that would be a huge disappointment, more would be gravy.

LTsatch

01-17-2012, 10:28 PM

Can't believe that I am defending Brown, but at this point I think that RPI and Union would die to have the likes of Farnham or MacLellan on their team. As shown in the first game against Yale which I attended, they have the ability to take over a game on their good nights. The emotion that they play with is most likely a double edged sword, hence the Sybil type season. (For you young guys check the IMDB website for Sybil)

ADK11

01-17-2012, 11:36 PM

Can't believe that I am defending Brown, but at this point I think that RPI and Union would die to have the likes of Farnham or MacLellan on their team. As shown in the first game against Yale which I attended, they have the ability to take over a game on their good nights. The emotion that they play with is most likely a double edged sword, hence the Sybil type season. (For you young guys check the IMDB website for Sybil)I'd take MacLellan in a heartbeat, but Farnham is too much in the Harry Z mold for my tastes :p.. Overall I really like what Whittet is doing at Brown and think they are on a definite upward track. He's brought a lot more players with speed and stick skills in the last couple recruiting classes, to go along with the hard nosed types from earlier classes. And the recruiting class he has coming next season looks like his best yet. IMO they are a team trying to forge an identity and figure out how to bring intensity for a full 60 minutes.

Union will definitely have their hands full both nights and I think the coaches & players know it. Goaltending could be very key in Union's games. Malcolm and Clemente were outstanding in Schenectady but have been rather ordinary at other times this season. As for Union, Grosenick had his worst game of the season against Yale and will have to be much better this weekend for U get some points.

kdiff77

01-17-2012, 11:48 PM

You have a gift, a gift for humor. Don't ever lose it.

You have a gift for never actually demonstrating how people you disagree with are wrong. I'm starting to think (well, not starting; I've thought this for quite some time) that you really have absolutely NO idea what you are talking about, but dislike certain happenings on principle, and attempt to berate those you disagree with by making snarky comments and insinuating that they are imbeciles, when, in fact, you have no evidence or logic behind your own assertions whatsoever.

Now tell me: what exactly is it that I posted that you find fault in? I don't want you to post some inane criticism of anything regarding me or your alleged guffawing, I want to hear real reasons as to why you disagree with me. I'd love to have a discussion about your opinions, if you do indeed have any.